Originally designed by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, the LV I and LV II watches broke from convention with their smooth, pebble-like cases and travel-inspired aesthetic. Nearly four decades later, their silhouette returns with entirely new mechanics.
Now, in its new form, produced by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the brand’s Geneva-based fine watchmaking division, the 39mm yellow gold Monterey keeps Aulenti’s distinctive lugless form and crown at 12 o’clock but sharpens every detail. The case, polished to a mirror finish, catches light like liquid metal. Its widened crown, meanwhile, is notched with a Clous de Paris texture and crafted at La Fabrique des Boîtiers Louis Vuitton, the maison’s specialist case-making atelier. Underneath, a quick-release strap system engraved ‘1 of 188’ offers a discreet nod to the watch’s rarity.
The white Grand Feu enamel dial demonstrates the level of technical finesse behind the new Monterey. Its creation demands up to 20 hours of meticulous handwork and around ten firings at temperatures between 800°C and 900°C to achieve a subtle opaline depth. Red and blue printed scales trace the hours and minutes, echoing the colour accents of the original 1988 design, while slender syringe-style hands in white gold and a blued-steel seconds hand adorn the dial’s gloss surface.
Inside, the automatic calibre LFTMA01.02, with a 45-hour power reserve, replaces the quartz movement of the past. Conceived and finished entirely in-house, it features a circular-grained main plate, sandblasted bridges, and a rotor in 18ct gold trimmed with Vuitton’s V-notches.
'The Monterey represents a symbiosis between old and new,' says Matthieu Hegi, artistic director at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. 'We’ve respected the design’s graphic codes while elevating it for today.'
That conversation between past and present extends beyond watchmaking. It’s echoed in Nicolas Ghesquière’s womenswear collections, where the creative director recently styled archival LV II watches from 1988 on the A/W 2025 runway, creating a subtle dialogue between the brand’s archives and its current offering.
The resulting timepiece is a faithful reissue that feels distinctly modern – more evolution than homage.
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